Now that the LA Kings 2022 NHL Draft is in the books, here’s how the experts graded their draft class.
First a quick recap of the selections:
- Round 2, No. 51 overall: Jack Hughes, C, NORTHEASTERN
- Round 4, No. 103 overall: Kenny Connors, C, DUBUQUE
- Round 4, No. 116 overall: Angus Booth, LHD, SHAWINIGAN
- Round 5, No. 148 overall: Otto Salin, RHD, HIFK JR.
- Round 6, No. 169 overall: Jared Wright, RW, OMAHA
- Round 6, No. 180 overall: Jack Sparkes, RHD, ST. MICHAELS
- Round 7, No. 215 overall: Kaleb Lawrence, RW, OWEN SOUND
The Athletic: B-
Los Angeles traded away their first, so not picking until 51 and then not again until 103 hurts this class. I still think all things considered they got some pieces to help their system. Jack Hughes in the most likely player here to play and I think he will, and in the later rounds there are a couple players I can buy having legit chances to make it. – Corey Pronman
FloHockey: B-
I thought the Kings made the most of what they had. With one of the deepest prospect pools in the league, they’re starting to transition into that win-now mode, which is going to give them lower picks in subsequent years. Los Angeles still ended up with three Top 100 players including Jack Hughes, Kenny Connors and Otto Salin. Connors was one of my favorite sleepers all season and should be a guy to watch to make it a few years down the road. One of the real wild cards of the class is Jack Sparkes, who is a towering 6-foot-8 and showed some real pro upside in the OJHL this season. With no first-rounder, Los Angeles got some good value in the mid-rounds as they so often seem to. – Chris Peters
EP Rinkside: C-
As long-time fans of Los Angeles’ work at the draft table, we couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed by this draft class. Still, they acquired Kevin Fiala for the 19th overall pick and Brock Faber. And there were some interesting swings and fun-to-watch prospects.
Jack Hughes is a defensively-sound centre with a projectable off-puck game and enough skill to see an eventual third-line role. The only other Kings’ pick we ranked was Otto Salin, a skilled blueliner with flashes of NHL skill.
As for the rest, Angus Booth has flashes of offensive upside, Jack Sparkes is tall and shockingly fluid, and Kaleb Lawrence‘s intelligent and skilled, but has only played two games in the last two seasons. Jared Wright is fast, and the playmaking improved throughout the season. He’s one to watch going forward. – David St. Louis/Mitch Brown
Bleacher Report: B+
There’s still a bit of time left to weigh in on the poll I threw up on Twitter:
How would you grade the #GoKingsGo 2022 NHL Draft class?
— Ryan Sikes (@ryan_sikes10) July 8, 2022